Natixis Advisors LLC Takes $1.22 Million Position in Chesapeake Utilities Co. (NYSE:CPK)

Natixis Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Chesapeake Utilities Co. (NYSE:CPK) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 10,022 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,216,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Chesapeake Utilities during the 4th quarter worth about $5,110,000. FourThought Financial Partners LLC purchased a new position in Chesapeake Utilities during the fourth quarter worth approximately $4,632,000. Barclays PLC boosted its position in Chesapeake Utilities by 342.4% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 37,048 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $4,600,000 after purchasing an additional 28,673 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its holdings in Chesapeake Utilities by 31.1% in the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 61,561 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $7,644,000 after purchasing an additional 14,607 shares during the period. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in shares of Chesapeake Utilities by 5.3% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 287,993 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $35,760,000 after buying an additional 14,430 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.11% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded Chesapeake Utilities from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th.

Chesapeake Utilities Trading Down 1.1 %

CPK stock opened at $124.58 on Wednesday. Chesapeake Utilities Co. has a 12-month low of $98.32 and a 12-month high of $134.20. The business’s 50-day moving average is $124.62 and its 200 day moving average is $123.65. The company has a current ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. The stock has a market cap of $2.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.27 and a beta of 0.60.

Chesapeake Utilities (NYSE:CPK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The utilities provider reported $1.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.67 by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $215.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $237.84 million. Chesapeake Utilities had a return on equity of 9.08% and a net margin of 14.16%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.64 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Chesapeake Utilities Co. will post 5.39 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Chesapeake Utilities Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a $0.64 dividend. This represents a $2.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.05%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. Chesapeake Utilities’s dividend payout ratio is currently 48.58%.

Chesapeake Utilities Company Profile

Chesapeake Utilities Corporation operates as an energy delivery company. The company operates through two segments, Regulated Energy and Unregulated Energy. The Regulated Energy segment natural gas distribution operations in central and southern Delaware, Maryland's eastern shore, and Florida; regulated natural gas transmission in the Delmarva Peninsula, Ohio, and Florida; and regulated electric distribution in northeast and northwest Florida.